About Me

I have served the City of Isanti as Mayor since 2007. We have accomplished great things together and I look forward to building on our success. United, we move forward to a better future. You may contact me at 763-442-8749 or e-mail me at george@georgewimmer.com. My website is www.georgewimmer.com

Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present War with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed.

It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.
-Date: June 20, 1676-By: Governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts*

President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863

Once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience
- Sadi, The Gulistan

Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, For we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
- Galatians 6:9

For flowers that bloom about our feet;For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;For song of bird, and hum of bee;For all things fair we hear or see,Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns."
-Anonymous

Since the Pilgrims observed the initial Thanksgiving holiday in 1621, this occasion has served as a singular expression of the transcending spiritual values that played an instrumental part in the founding of our country.
One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those "insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God" of this Nation's bounty and greatness.
Several days after the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield, the United States celebrated its first national Thanksgiving.Every year since then, our Nation has faithfully continued this tradition. The time has come once again to proclaim a day of thanksgiving, an occasion for Americans to express gratitude to their God and their country.In his remarks at Gettysburg, President Lincoln referred to ours as a Nation "under God."
We rejoice in the fact that, while we have maintained separate institutions of church and state over our 200 years of freedom, we have at the same time preserved reverence for spiritual beliefs. Although we are a pluralistic society, the giving of thanks can be a true bond of unity among our people. We can unite in gratitude for our individual freedoms and individual faiths. We can be united in gratitude for our Nation's peace and prosperity when so many in this world have neither.
As was written in the first Thanksgiving Proclamation 120 years ago, "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God." God has blessed America and her people, and it is appropriate we recognize this bounty.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, in the spirit of the Pilgrims, President Lincoln, and all succeeding Presidents, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1983, as a National Day of Thanksgiving, and I call upon Americans to affirm this day of thanks by their prayers and their gratitude for the many blessings upon this land and its people.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Just in time for some holiday cheer the State Legislature has sent out their budget deficit. The 4 Billion dollar - $4,000,000,000 - deficit that is projected is going to hurt local units of government. It was less than a decade ago when the state was faced with a large deficit and the legislature decided to drastically cut Local Government Aid and balance the state budget on the backs of Counties and Cities but cutting off money and shifting state responsibilities to local units of government.

We have been dealing a number of critical issues including non-payment of taxes and assessments in the Finance Committee. We will be adding this topic. I will be proposing several further spending cuts if our LGA is cut for the existing 2009 budget. This was done the last time and hopefully it will not happen but we must be prepared.

The positive is that with our fiscal discipline the last 2 years we are well placed to weather this financial tsunami. Hard decisions will have to be made but we will come through this together.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

This is more a posting for perspective Sponsors of the Arctic Plunge. The Plunge raised more than $20,000 for Isanti Search and Rescue from the 2008 event. I have jumped and sponsored the Plunge for the last 3 years and will be doing so again March 7th 2009. Take a look and if you are willing and able give Carrie a call 612-282-6246 - http://www.arcticplunge.com/. Here is the sponsorship information:

2009 ARCTIC PLUNGE SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

Platinum Level Sponsorship - $1200.00

• Advertising in all print ads and Platinum level on all apparel with logo on sleeve and back
• 2 Sweatshirts Sizes________________________
• VIP Tent (20’ x 20’ approx.) with an 8’ table and 15 chairs and garbage container. Platinum level sponsors are allowed to serve food & beverages in their tent.
• Recognition plaque
• Signage on all 3 sides of Master of Ceremony tower and bleachers
• Logo banner in front of VIP tent

• Advertising in all print ads and Silver level on all apparel
• Sponsorship signage around plunge area (2’ x 4’ approx)

Bronze Level Sponsorship - $200.00

• Advertising on all apparel at the bronze level
• Recognition on signage the day of the event. (two common signs will include all Bronze level sponsors one will be placed near Captain’s and the other on the lake during the events)

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The main issues we faced were rezoning request for a parcel of commercially zoned land wanting to be reverted to industrial and medium density properties wanting to be rezoned to high density to allow for apartment development.

The commercial property abuts the Central Business District along Main Street. The property was formerly industrial and the owner wants to revert it back to industrial. The property was changed to a commercial zoning to better fit into the long term economic development of the City as a whole. It makes little sense to spend so much time and money bringing commercial businesses to downtown and working towards a commuter train stop if we are going to have heavy industrial uses in the same area. The existing business is grandfathered in and may continue to operate forever if they choose to do so. This was all part of the 2 year Comprehensive Planning process and the dozens of public meetings we held.

I was disappointed that the landowner denigrated the work that many have put into redeveloping the downtown. He basically said downtown was dead - I corrected him and hope he will spend a bit more time downtown and see the great growth.

CM Kolb tried for a compromise to rezone from commercial to a light industrial to satisfy the long term development of the City and to ease the concerns of the landowner. The Council directed the issue not be sent back to the Planning Commission but a solution be found by the Development Advisory Committee - CM Kolb and I sit on this committee.

The other item that was discussed related to changing an r3 medium density to r4 high density area along Whiskey just west of the intersection of Whiskey and North Brookview. This area has been r3 for decades and the recent comprehensive plan carried that zoning through. The property owner stated he wanted the higher density to allow for apartment development. I was concerned that high density would be placed next to single family homes. My position was that an r4 development could be designed and presented to the City and at that time the rezoning could be discussed if proper buffering were included in the plan. If the change to r4 were made without knowing the plan the City and that specific neighborhood could be stuck with a bad development and no leverage to change it.

A quick note on an issue being pushed through cities as part of the Towards Zero Deaths program. The issue is the elimination of home delivery of alcohol. This is being presented as a way to prevent minors and irresponsible people from being sold alcohol. We had 3 main concerns with this process. 1 - there is no way to enforce it, 2 - there are already existing state statutes that address this very issue and 3 - the hypocrisy of cities allowing an exemption for their own municipal liquor stores. So it is bad for a business to sell this way but a City can profit from it all day long.

Friday, November 14, 2008

We are entering into a time of thanks and celebration. Thanksgiving to Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year but for many of our friends and neighbors it can be a frightening time.

The Isanti County Christmas Project helps shed happiness upon what is often a difficult time for struggling families. They are all volunteers and all the money raised is spent on families in Isanti County.

Make checks payable to the Isanti County Christmas Project and mail them to Isanti Lions Club, c/o Tom Pagel, 28339 Bayshore Drive NW, Isanti, MN, 55040. To help or ask questions about the project, call Tom at 763-444-6560.

The Isanti Downtown Committee is conducting a Youth Winter Poster Contest. All youth ages 3 to 18 are invited to submit a work of art. The theme for the contest is “Winter in Isanti”. Submittals will be divided into four (4) age categories. Prizes will be given to the top three (3) works of art in each age category. The rules for the contest are as follows:

· Any kind of medium and materials can be used. The artwork can be a maximum of 11” x 17”.
· The artwork should reflect the chose theme, “Winter in Isanti”.
· The youth’s name, address, phone number, and age must be provided on the back side of the artwork.

Submission Deadline: 11.21.2008

Artwork will be put on display for the public to view in a Youth Art Gallery, which will be located at 105 Main Street W (American Family Insurance Office Building), Thursday, December 11th through Saturday, December 13th. Please note, parents will be responsible for picking up the submitted artwork after December 13th. If you have questions regarding the contest, please contact Lisa Krause, City Planner at (763) 444-5512 or via e-mail at lkrause@cityofisanti.us

We have the winners of the City Flag Contest. I am in the process of contacting the winners. We had 4 winning designs whose elements will be used in the final version. I along with Community Pride Bank will be awarding the prizes at next weeks Council meeting.

In the coming weeks we will be discussing Isanti's Fiscal Plan. The City will be bonding for the remainder of the outstanding City debt. We are working towards not only completing this process but looking to improve the City's rating. I will inform you when I know if we are successful. If our credit rating does increase, as we believe it will, then the cost of our bond issues will decrease saving our taxpayers money.

We are working with a potential opportunity to leverage $500,000, in grant form, to help with the City's foreclosure issues. We have also presented a number of City improvement projects to be funded by the federal stimulus package working its way through Congress. We have presented the improvement and paving of the gravel portion of Railroad Avenue, complete sidewalk system on both sides of County Highway 5 from County highway 23 to Highway 65 and paving 3rd Avenue along the Soccer fields.

We have another new business opening its doors on Main St. and hopefully completing a deal to bring another manufacturer to our Industrial Park.

Busy week to be sure but of course last week we only had the election, Governor's Opener Banquet and State Media Tour.

I will be delivering the State of the City Address at the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon on February 18th.

Monday, November 10, 2008

My Grandfather wrote these words to my Grandmother in 1917 as America was preparing to fight in World War One. His words worked quite well. They had 14 children, 11 boys and 3 girls. We must honor our soldiers and their families each and every day.

The most persistent sound which reverberates through men's history is the beating of war drums.
~Arthur Koestler, Janus: A Summing Up

The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war.
~Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.
~G.K. Chesterton

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.
~William Shakespeare

In war there is no prize for the runner-up
- General Omar Bradley

It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.
- General Douglas MacArthur

I know not with what weapons World War III will befought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
- Albert Einstein

You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
- Jeannette Rankin first woman Member of Congress

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
- Patrick HenryMarch 23,1775

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
~ Thomas Paine first line of "The Crisis" - December 23, 1776

***

President Reagan's 40th Anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 1984)

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For 4 long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns.

The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers -- the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machineguns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here.

After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your ``lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.''I think I know what you may be thinking right now -- thinking ``we were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day.'' Well, everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't.

They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.Lord Lovat was with him -- Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, ``Sorry I'm a few minutes late,'' as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.

There was the impossible valor of the Poles who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold, and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back.

All of these men were part of a rollcall of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's ``Matchbox Fleet'' and you, the American Rangers.Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer.

It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest.

You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home.

They fought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.Something else helped the men of D-day: their rockhard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause.

And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.

When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together.There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies.

The Marshall plan led to the Atlantic alliance -- a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace.In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They're still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost 40 years after the war. Because of this, allied forces still stand on this continent.

Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose -- to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.

But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war.

We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.

We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.

We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.Thank you very much, and God bless you all.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

We are still looking for host families to house our Minnesota Owls hockey players. More than ten players are still looking for a home.
These are good kids who follow the strict team rules. The families that have taken in players have had a very good experience -- my family is already talking about how much we'll miss him while he's gone for the summer!

If you're interested in more information or in hearing about the perks and benefits of being a Host Family, please contact me as soon as possible.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

We have the official numbers from the election and there are some eye opening stats.

We had 2,193 people voting in Isanti of which 765 were voting for the first time in the City, that equates to 35%. That is an amazing number!

Now for the flip side:

In the Mayor's race I received 1,432 and Ms. Larson had 573 but 173 people (8%) did not vote for either candidate. This is absolutely a person's choice and the outcome would not have been affected. There was a tremendous impact on the Council Race however.

1459 votes were not cast. Now this is a bit more complex as each voter had 2 votes to cast for Council Members. There was a mixed bag of some voters not voting at all for Council and voters only voting for 1 candidate. With a total of 2,193 voters and each gets 2 votes there were 4,386 votes for Council.

1,459 or 33% of the total possible votes not being cast had a dramatic impact on the election. 155 votes separate 1st from 2nd place and only 51 votes separated 2nd from 3rd.

Now part of this is the fact that the further you go down on the ballot the more voters drop off or the fact many people were motivated to vote for President or Senate but knew little about the Council Candidates or the high percentage of new voters do not feel a strong connection to City government or all the above.

We will never know why there was such a dramatic drop off but it does have a strong impact on the election. Thought it was interesting information.

I will be breaking out the votes this evening and discussing the future agenda. We have the Governor's Deer Opener Dinner tomorrow night and I give the official welcome and then the media tour on Friday that will highlight Isanti to state media outlets. We have a busy week ahead.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

We won, I want to thank everyone for all their help. Tonight is a good night to celebrate but there is a lot of work for us to do and that starts tomorrow. With Commissioner Elect Duff winning tonight his Council seat will come open. The Council will determine how to fill the open seat in January. The last such position was filled by appointing the 3rd place Council candidate. Here are the results:

Get out and vote Tuesday and make sure your friends and neighbors get to the polls. Nothing can be taken for granted as many races are going to be very close. We must ensure we have the right representation for our City in all our local races.

One quick example of how things can change in the City:

Since 2005 I have been trying to use the sidewalk money from projects like the Shawn-Candy-Richard street project and the Broadway-Elizabeth area which are low traffic roads and use the money to build complete sidewalks along County Highway 5. We desperately need sidewalks along 5 to ensure the safety of our smallest children walking to school, our seniors trying to get to Riverside for groceries our the numerous people living in the apartment buildings.

This was blocked by the former Mayor along with Council Members Larson and Johnson. In 2007 I wanted to do the same but you need to have a super majority of 4 out of 5 votes so Larson and Johnson were able to block this again. If I win the Mayor's race Tuesday we will have only CM Larson left (CM Johnson ran for Commissioner and his Council term ends in December) and the remaining candidates for Council have all expressed the need for sidewalks along County Highway 5. We will have the 4 votes in 2009 to move this project along.

I was looking something up on the blog and came across a post I wrote just before the 2006 election - http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2006/11/full-page-re-elect-ad.html - It was illuminating to see how the former Mayor and Ms. Larson tied their campaigns together, his re-election as Mayor and her run for a third Council term. Here is an excerpt from that post:

High taxes and fees, brown/radium filled city water, transportation, rising crime, anemic commercial/industrial growth and no financial planning are issues they seem not to acknowledge. They write that this election is not about reform or change. They want to keep the "train on the track". Their track is taking Isanti off a cliff. I could not have made my points about these two any better than they did in this expensive full page ad. Thank you.The list of items are all ones we have greatly improved. Taxes are down 14%, our water treatment plant is being built to remove the brown/radium filled water, transportation is being improved with dollars set aside for ride share and rail service, crime is down 17%, we have had a magnificent expansion of businesses and we have a Long Term Financial Plan in place with strong budget controls.

Just wanted to share with you what might have happened if 2006 went the other way. Elections matter, lets make the 2008 election matter.

Even Ms Larson believes I am doing a good job as Mayor.
"Mayor Wimmer is doing an excellent job, is great with numbers and is very good with the budget"
-Ms. Larson at the Candidate Forum October 9th, 2008.

The Election is in the hands of the voters. We have done everything we can to promote our Agenda and inform the voters. It is important to make sure we all talk to our friends and neighbors and get out the vote on Tuesday.

With all the excitement surrounding state and national election we often forget to take the time to learn the agenda and record of those seeking local office. Our County Commissioners,School board, Council Members and Mayors shape a great deal of our community.

We face difficult times ahead and need to make sure we have elected officials that will be able to do the job needed. Everything from local property taxes/fees, transportation, health/safety, education, economic development, parks/recreation and on and on are controlled by your locally elected officials. Your Commissioners, School Board Members, City Councilors and Mayors are people you see everyday and will impact your daily life.

Please invest at least the same amount of time learning about your local candidates as you have for state and national office. Vote November 4th.

As some may know Sir Winston Churchill is a personal hero of mine. If you get the chance read the "Last Lion" two volume biography of Churchill by William Manchester. I can not pass up a chance to let his words run free once again.....

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

Danger - if you meet it promptly and without flinching - you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!

I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."

All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents.

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.

Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, and the worst of it is half of them are true.